(a)To coordinate the State's activities on and to act as a communications center for issues relating to current and former military bases in the State, the Military Economic Development Committee is created as an entity within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor:
(1)To preserve, protect, expand, and attract new military missions, assets, and installations to the State of Illinois.
(2)To encourage defense related businesses to expand or relocate to the State of Illinois.
(3)To identify emerging trends and support the long-term viability of the military and defense industry in Illinois.
(4)To assist Illinois communities who have been or could be impacted by Federal Base Realignment and Closure actions or other military realignments.
(5)To be an information clearinghouse by providing
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(a) To coordinate the State's activities on and to act as a communications center for issues relating to current and former military bases in the State, the Military Economic Development Committee is created as an entity within the Office of the Lieutenant Governor: (1) To preserve, protect, expand, and attract new military missions, assets, and installations to the State of Illinois. (2) To encourage defense related businesses to expand or relocate to the State of Illinois. (3) To identify emerging trends and support the long-term viability of the military and defense industry in Illinois. (4) To assist Illinois communities who have been or could be impacted by Federal Base Realignment and Closure actions or other military realignments. (5) To be an information clearinghouse by providing military installation information and recommendations to enhance the military value of Illinois defense installations to the Governor, General Assembly, congressional delegation, and State and Federal Government officials. (b) The Committee shall be composed of the following 7 ex officio members or their designees: the Lieutenant Governor, the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Secretary of Transportation, the Director of Natural Resources, the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of Revenue, and the Adjutant General of the Department of Military Affairs. In addition, 4 members of the General Assembly shall be appointed, one each appointed by the President of the Senate, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. The chair and vice-chairs of the committee, in consultation with the full Committee, shall appoint 10 public members to serve as representatives from the counties, or adjoining counties, of a current or former military base site as necessary to carry out the work of the Commission. The chair and vice-chairs of the Committee, in consultation with the other members of the Committee, shall also appoint up to 4 members having military veteran or defense industry backgrounds from across the State of Illinois. Additionally, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military Affairs shall also appoint one member who is a military veteran. Public member appointees and military veteran or defense industry appointees shall serve 4-year terms; however, for the initial terms of those members, half of them shall be appointed for terms of 2 years as the Lieutenant Governor shall determine. (c) The Lieutenant Governor shall serve as chair of the Committee, and the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall serve as a vice-chair and shall oversee the administration of the Committee and its functions. The person appointed by the Adjutant General of the Department of Military Affairs shall also serve as a vice-chair of the Committee. Expenses necessary to carry out the function of the Committee shall be shared among the agencies represented on the Committee pursuant to an interagency agreement and from funds appropriated for this purpose or from existing funds within the budgets of those agencies. General Assembly appointees shall serve for the duration of the General Assembly in which the appointee is appointed, but the appointee's term shall expire if the appointee no longer remains a member of that General Assembly. The Committee shall meet not less than quarterly. If an excused absence from a committee meeting is requested by an appointed member, such absence may be granted by the chair of the Committee. Any appointed member of the Committee who has at least 2 unexcused absences in a year shall no longer be a member of the Committee, and his or her replacement shall be appointed in the same manner as the member being replaced for the remainder of that member's current term. (d) Each member of the Committee must request reimbursement from his or her individual agency for actual and necessary expenses incurred while performing his or her duties as a member of the Committee. Public members shall be reimbursed from funds appropriated to the Department for that purpose. (e) The Committee shall provide advice and recommendations to the Department on the following: (1) The formation of a strategic plan for State and local military base retention, realignment, and reuse efforts. (2) The issues impacting current and former military bases in the State, including infrastructure requirements, environmental impact issues, military force structure possibilities, tax implications, property considerations, and other issues requiring State agency coordination and support. (3) The status of community involvement and participation in retention, realignment, and reuse efforts and the community support for economic development before and after a military base closing. (4) The State's retention, realignment, and reuse advocacy efforts on the federal level. (5) The development of impact studies concerning the closing of a base on the community, housing, the economy, schools, and other public and private entities, including additional economic development ideas to minimize the impact in the event of the base closing. (6) The development of future economic expansion plans for areas that are subject to closure or realignment. (f) The Committee, in cooperation with the Department, shall keep the Governor and General Assembly informed concerning the progress of military base retention, realignment, reuse, and economic development efforts in the State. (g) The Committee shall serve as the central information clearinghouse for all military base reuse, retention, and realignment activities. This shall include: (i) serving as a liaison between the State and community organizations that support the long-term viability of military bases; (ii) communicating with the State's congressional delegation; and (iii) generally coordinating with the public, governmental bodies, and officials in communicating about the future of military bases in the State.